Electrode mounting structure for radio-frequency seaming machines



Nov. 17, 1953 HACKLANDER 2,659,806

ELECTRODE MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR RADIO-FREQUENCY SEAMING MACHINES v Filed 001;. 16, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- Hans Hacklancler WITNESS BY ATTORNEY H. HACKLANDER 2,659,806 ELECTRODE MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR RADIO-FREQUENCY SEAMING MACHINES Nov. 17, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 16, 1952 INVENTOR.

Hans 'Hacklander WITNESS l WWW ATTORNEY Nov. 17, 1953 H. HACKLANDER 2,659,806

ELECTRODE MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR RADIO-FREQUENCY SEAMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 16, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Hans Haclilandezl w1TNEss= BY ATTORNEY NOV. 17, 1953 HACKLANDER 2,659,806

ELECTRODE MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR RADIO-FREQUENCY SEAMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 16, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

Hans HaokZander WITNESS 30 AT TORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1953 ELECTRODE MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR RADIOrFREQUENC SEAMING Han Haq hhder Sou Sterling. N J. ss ns o he S n er' a ihs Cemneh both, N. L, a corporation ofNew Jersey Application Octet?! 1 5 Serial 11 314th 0 ars -47 10 Q aim 1 ihv hheh r la es is edi resu nsv inehhih s and o e, especia l to. time ture for mounting the electrodes therefor.

It is ge heh e wit s shh' g m t. h s ha electrodes supplied with radioefrequency energy, 9 medi u h mach ne rea ily on c ih rder t m ke se e al a all l eams. mul aneously or to provide parallel feeding instrumenhll es f r better co t .of the w ku o th normal proximity of the electrodes, which are at radio-frequency potential to the feeding instruentals; hich are at rpuhd p al there isg're'at di'fiicultyin preventing .eXces sive loss of ene'rgy'through leakage paths between the elements t r fi r ht oten a especially wh h se eleme ts re mult pli s ch s i as with multiple?electrode or multiple-feed machines.

I i he eier eh ab e t of hi ventio t provide a novel electrode structure in relation to the feeding means which permits relatively a y nterchange par s to ad pt a m n machine for use with different arrangements and numbers of electrodes and/9r feeding elements.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrode structure for use with closely adjacent feeding elements such that the electrode str u e ha hf i t ositional tabil con: sistent with a low capacity coupling to the feeding elements to minimize the loss oi energy through said coupling,

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodh ment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages at: tamed thereby w l be re dil unde o d b those skilled in the art.

n the r w ngs,

Fig. l is an enlarged vertical section through part of the head end of a seaming machine and showing an electrode structure embodying the nven on.-

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-Z of Fig. 1 and showing material between the electrodes.

' Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the bed of the machine shown in Fig. 1 with the cover-plate removed.

Fig. 4 is a partial view similar to Fig. -1 except i that it is modified by the additionoi another low, l er electrode and another feed wheel.

Fig. 5 is a partial view similar to Fig. 1 except that it is modified by the addition of another feed wheel.

Reierring now to Fig. 1, there is shown an elec trode assembly embodying the invention as an- 2 lied 9 se m h mach ne hi the t Q QZQ QQ n m Pa ent Nev 2 2 .12 9 Decem q 5 7 e sl to h h t is h e may h h s! i more co ete des r pti n 9f th e tire 1 A mah he bed, 1. is ormed. with an anchored rti n Wit in whic is 9siti d a ris s heel '2 se -s red or otat th a ee s aft .13 $91.12- h l d in ea s 4 and I5. se ed n bosse I9 nd H dep ndin from th bed lit The fees! Wheel comprises preferably a metallic hub l3 ur d o t sh f l Whe l of insulating hief a se u d to. said hub, and a r m 20 9 rh ber b d to aid heel Th .aherthre pp ti h U s o ered b a r mo ab e la e 5.-

Vertica s de rails an Z2. Qf th bed a n -l a e c m d w h ho zon ally shgu dered por ions 23 and Z4 htfid oh hiambtri e l 9P o i s sides of the eed wh el- Seemed. to the ouhi r d o tiq s 1 and .2! by ews a e blocks 25 and 21 of insulating material, preferably M ce e 0r B kel t havin a subst n a u tion resistance at radio ireguencies. The s ews 25 are readily accessible from the top thr t ap thr d portio H as e n es in l Matchin s ot 23 a d 2.9 in th blocks .Zfi 27 vide su ort g a s r rece in the and po t ons of a t ode .9 wh ch i t us hhed. .tQ s dle the t ed ha t 1 The 9 2s: mile 3,9 a la i e hin m talli a e arm 51 n all in h h pe of an a c a e best 21 ieand has mater al remove er fr m leerns ep d ion .3! a d to mend? girder yne structu e h ts bstantial p s tional stability and reduced mutual capacitance ith th eed Wh e ls h d 3 is m d w h mw r i 3. hi h rqiects abo e th w rk sur a e r the bed I I! to ch e h wi h the regular r c p o ato y pper le sle 3.4., h p ing ss e nd a r flih r h 19 .5 t the Work 6 which is helsi betw en a d i Zed p st said ec od I wi l n t d t t e e ec rqd 0 may b oved la era ly f t e be i he slots shill h ch e mi ready d us m n er relathe 9 h rip er e ec oq a ter which the slew trode 30 ay be locked in position by takin up 156 on hold-down screws 35 which are thread t ns d bl c 2 and nti r 36 downwardly to retain frictional-1y the re tive ends of the electrode 30 within thev s10 Q and '29. The screws 35 are readily accessible 1r the top through the apertured portion H as clearly shown in Fig. 3. d m

A spring-pressed roller-presser 3! cooperates with the feed wheel l2 in the usual 13.9 feed ial bet een and past he e estrpqes 0 and 3 with pro ess ve in e m tent .xh tip transmitted thereto by the feeds-shaft 1.3 w

.It is clea hat th elehtro c 9. beeches v9;

3 its arched form and relatively large vertical dimension, will have negligible vertical deflection under the pressure loading of the upper electrode 34. Further, due to the fact that the ends of the electrode 30 are seated deeply in the slots 28 and 29, there can be no appreciable lateral movement after screws 35 are taken up. This means greater positional rigidity for the electrode which permits closer spacing to the feed wheel and thus affords better control of the work It will be understood, of course, that the opposed electrodes 30 and, 34 are supplied with radio-frequency ene y/in the same manner as disclosed in my above-mentioned Patent No. 2,432,412. Electrical conductor 38 (Fig. 3), connected to the lower electrode 30 at one of the screws 35, is connected to one side of a supply (not shown) of radio-frequency energy, while the bed In itself is connected as usual to the other or grounded side of said supply. There is a tendency for leakage of energy from the electrode 30 to the nearest parts conductively connected to the machine bed. To constitute a loss, this leakage must occur in paths other than the regular working path between the electrodes and through the material being seamed.

. According to the invention, the leakage paths are minimized by removing material from the body of the electrode 30 leaving the apertured portions 3| and 32, so that the mutual capacitance of the electrode with the grounded parts of the machine will be lessened. This is particularly efiective in reducing the leakage loss to the metallic hub 18 which, for good control of the seam line, must be located very close to i the lower electrode 30.

When it is desired to adapt the machine for making dual seams, as seen in Fig. 4, a longitudinally-spaced parallel pair of slots 39 and 4 is formed in each of the blocks and 21 and a lower electrode may be secured in each of the slots by means of a finger 3B, urged by a screw to secure the ends of the electrodes in the blocks. One of the screws 35 associated with each electrode is used for making electrical connection with a conductor 4| which leads to a source of radio-frequency energy (not shown) as set forth and described in the U. S. Patent No. 2,583,128 of Robert L. Stevenson et al., January 22, 1952, and to which reference may be had for a more complete disclosure of a suitable supply circuit for a dual electrode machine.

A dual upper electrode 42 having limbs spaced to match the two lower electrodes 3D30 must of course be provided as shown, and may be an element fully interchangeable with the single electrode 34. A cover-plate 43 having a suitable aperture for the dual electrodes is also provided.

Fig. 5 indicates the condition when the machine of Fig. l is modified to include a second feed wheel l2 mounted on the feed shaft l3 and cooperating with a second roller presser 31 to produce a dual, symmetrical feed by applying traction to the material on both sides of the single upper electrode 44. It will be noted that no modification of the lower electrode structure is necessary, due to the lower electrode supports being removed to a position where they cannot interfere with any possible modified positions of the feed wheel along the feed shaft. A cover-plate 41 having a suitable aperture for the dual feed wheels is also provided.

In view of the foregoing description, it is apparent that I have provided a simple, inexpensive structure for mounting electrodes for elec- 4 tronic seaming machines, which structure permits ease of adapting said machines for multiple-electrode and/or multiple-feed use.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In an electronic seaming machine, a bed providing a work-support having an apertured portion, a driven feed wheel positioned within the bed but having a peripheral portion thereof extending through said apertured portion and above said work-support, a lower electrode assembly comprising spaced blocks of insulating material secured to said bed on diametrically opposite sides of said feed wheel, and an electrode spanning the space between and having end portions removably secured to said blocks.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which the spaced blocks are slotted to receive the end portions of said electrode.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which the electrode is arch shaped and has a top portion thereof extending through said apertured portion to lie closely adjacent to said feed wheel.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which there are two feed wheels, positioned one on either side of the electrode.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which there are two spaced electrodes positioned in said blocks and a separate feed wheel associated with each electrode.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, in which material is removed from said electrode to provide a girder type structure with a minimum of mutual capacitance with said feed wheel.

7. In an electronic seaming machine, a bed providing a work-support having an apertured portion, an upper electrode mounted for vertical reciprocation above the work-support, a feed wheel positioned within the bed but having a peripheral portion thereof extending through said apertured portion and above said work-support, a driving shaft connected to said feed wheel, a lower electrode assembly comprising spaced slotted blocks of insulating material secured internally to said bed on diametrically opposite sides of the feed wheel, and a stationary elec-- trode formed from a single plate with spaced apertures to provide a girder effect and to reduce its mutual capacitance with the feed wheel. said stationary electrode having its ends removably seated in the slots of said blocks in a position astride the feed shaft, with a portion of said electrode extending above the work-support in intermittent work-clamping relation with said upper electrode.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim '7 in which extra slots are provided in said blocks for additional electrodes.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 in which screws, accessible from the top through the apertured portion of the work-support, secured the blocks to the bed.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim '7 in which screws, accessible from the top through the apertured portion of the work-support, removably secure the end portions of the electrode in the slots of the blocks.

HANS HACKLANDER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

